Trap-door for railway-car platforms.



, R. T. AXE.

TRAP DOOR FOR RAILWAY GAR PLATFORMS.

APPLICATION FILED 121313.24, 1912.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. BY. E: "i WWW mgg/ww@ ATTORNEYS R. 'I'. AXE. TRAP DOOR FOR RAILWAY UAR PLATFORMS.

APPLICATION FILED' FEB. 24, 1912.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHl ETS-SHEET Z.

piiJ'lsu'r-ED sTATEs., sfr rica.

`:wir T. AXE, or smcUsE, NEW. .Yoan AssIGNoR To OLIVER m. EDWARDS, or simacu'ssl NEwYoaK.

TRAP-Doon ron mfLWAY-can PLATFORMS.

y T all 'whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY'IAXE, .of Syraeuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Trap-Door for Railway-Car Platforms, of which the following 'is a specification.

Thisinvention has for its object the production of a trap door for railway car platforms which is particularly simple in construction, and highly eflicient and durable in use; and it consistsin the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed. f

In. describing thisinvention reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l 1s a plan Vlew vof a preferable.

form of this trap door, contiguous parts of the platform and car structure .being also shown. Figs.- 2 and 3 are sectional views taken at a right angle to each other, parts being omitted in Fig. 3.

omitted. y

vThis trap door for railway car platforms comprises, generally", a support movable about an axis, a Hoor carried bv the support and shiftable edgewisely in a direction par` Iallel to the axis ofthe support, and means f r shifting the Hoor. Usually the fioor is sl`dable relatively. to the support and one of the. slidably engaged parts is' provided with 'raised bearing surfaces for engaging the other, the slidablyengaged parts between the bearing-surfaces being spaced apart. `Preferably' the major part of the floor is located on oneside of the axis of its' support and a marginal portion is located on the other side of such axis, and the means for shifting .the Hoor is connected to said marginal. portion. The support, as here illustrated, comprises a body l and leaves 2 l hinged to the body and arranged `with their pivotal axes extending crosswise of the axis of the body, and the -tloor 3- is mounted on the support above thebody lso that the 'sup portl engages with the under face thereof.

. The body 1 is here shown as a spring barrel journaled in bearings 4 and 5 supported byv the-frame of the car, a torsion spring 6 being llocated within the barrel -and fixed at one end in any suitable manner to the bearing4 and at ,its 'other end tothe body 1. 'ift and through an are shaped slot 20 in a 319.

Speclcation of Letters Patent.

, Fis-x 41S [a view of parts seen in Figlg' 'theifi'oor being i Y others at the free ends of the leaves 2. The

Patentedpec. l1, 1914.

Application inea' February 24, 1912. serial No. 679.660.

The construction of the spring barrel forms no part of this invention and further description thereof is thought to be unnecessary.

' The leaves 2, are pivoted at 7 tox brackets 8 mounted on thev spring barrel atpoints spaced apart in a direction lengthwise thereof, and are slidably connected near their free ends to the Hoor by pin-and-slot connections 9. The door issecured to tl1e.si1pport by said pin-andslot connections 9 and by slidingr bearings as metal straps or bearing members 10 secured at their ends vto the under face of the floor and having their intermediate portions extendingaround the barrel 1. The straps l0 are so arranged as to engage the brackets 8 to limit the movement of the floor 3 in either its normaler extended position. l

In this embodiment of my invention, the support is preferably provided with bearing surfaces located near opposite ends of the leaves 2, two of such bearing surfaces being p rovided'near the body.' 1 and usually directly 'above the axis of the body l., and thev from its closed position into a vertical posi# tion at one side of the steps 14 when raised to uncover such steps` The means for sliding the door 3 wisely relatively to its support comprises a vertical rock shaft'or post 15l rising from. the platform 16 and extending below the same and provided with a rock arm 17 at itslower end, and a link 18'connected by uni-l versal joints to therock arm 17 and to the under face of the marginal portion 19 of the Hoor located on the opposite side of the axis of the barrel i to that on which the ina-jor art of the ioor is located. The iink 18 is through the riser of the. top step of the steps Thus the floor and edgel plate .21 supported by the riser of said top step.-

'.lhe rock shaft 15 is also provided with suitable handle 22 which is connected to tl. rock shaft 15 by a horizontal pivot 23 which permits the handle to be folded down alongv the shaft, as seen in Fig. 2, when not in use. When the floor is in horizontal position its free edge is supported by a suitableshoulder 24 and it is held from being raised by the torsion spring 6, by a suitable latch not shown.

My trap door is particularly adapted to be used in cars stopping at stations where the station platforms `are below the level of the car platforms so that passengers 'boarding or alighting from, the trains must use the steps, and at stations where the station platforms are Hush with those of the cars and a space intervenes between the side of the cars and the station platforms. When the cars are stopping at the last-mentioned class of platforms, the doors are projected laterally slightly, to bridge the intervening space between the sides of the cars and the station platforms, by operating the rockl shaft 15 causing'the floor 3 to slide on the bearing surfaces 11 and 12.

What I claim is:

1. In a trap door for railway car plat` forms, a support, a floor slidably carried by the support and shiftable edgewisely relatively thereto, the support being slidably eni gaged with the under face of the floor and one of the slidably engaged parts being formed with raised bearing faces for engaging the other of said parts, and the slidably engaged parts being spaced apart between the bearing faces, and means for shiftingY the floor, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about an axis, a floor slidably mounted on the support and shiftable edgewisely in a direction parallel to the axis of the support, the support having bearing surfaces spaced apart for engaging the under face of the floor, a the support bein spaced apart from the iloor between the caring faces, and means for shifting the floor, substantially as and for the purpose speciiied.

3. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about an axis and comprising a body, and a leaf pivoted to the body and arranged with its pivotal axis extending crosswise of the axis of the body, a Hoor slidably mounted on the support and connected to theleaf by a. pivot in, the support slidably engaging the un er face of the floor and one of the slidablg engaged parts being formed with raise bearing faces for engaging the other of said parts and the slidably engaged parts being spaced apart between the bearing faces, and

for sliding the floor relatively to the support, substantially as and for the purpose et forth.

4. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about an axis and comprising a body, and a leaf pivoted to the body and arranged with its pivotal axis extending crosswise of the axis of the body, a floor slidably mounted on the support and being door relatively to the support, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about an axis and comprising a body, and a leaf pivoted to the body and arranged with its pivotal axis extending crosswise of the axis ofthe body.,

and a floor slidably mounted on the sup-r port and connected to the free end of the leaf by a pivot pin, the supportslidably engaging the under face of the floor and heing provided with raised bearing faces for engaging the under face of the lfloor, such bearing faces being located near opposite ends of the leaf, substantially as and for the` purpose specified.

6. In a trap door ,for railway carplat-l forms, a support-movable aboutan axis and comprising a spring barrel providedawitn brackets spaced apart,and leaves pivoted to the brackets and arranged with their pivotal axes extending crosswise ,of the axis of the barrel, a,fl00r s lidably mounted on the support and being connected to the leaves near their ends by pin-and-slot connections, the support slidabl engaging the under face of the floor and ing provided with raised bearing surfaces located directly above and nearthe axis of the support at oints spaced apart and near the ends of the eaves, and means for slidinglthe floor relatively ,to the support, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about an axis-and including a body journaled in the car frame., a floor carried by the support and shiftable in a direction parallel to the axis of the support, the floor extending on opposite sides` of the body, and means `for shifting the lfloor, said means being connected to the and including a body journaled in the car frame,

in a direction parallel to t e axis of the slipportthe major part of the floor being located on one side of the axis ofthe body and a marginal portion thereof being located on the opposite side of such axis, and means for shifting the Hoor, said means being connect- .Y ed to said marginal portion of the floor, sub- Stantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. In a trap door for railway car platforms,- a support movable about an axis and--v including a bodg' journaled in the car frame,

a floor carried y the support and shiftable in a direction parallel to the axis of the body, the major part of the Hoor being located on one`s"ide of the axis of the bod and a marginal portion of the floor extending to the opposite side of such axis, and means for shifting the iioor said means comprising-a verticalA rock shaft rising from the platform and extendin belowthe same, the rock shaft having a end, and a link engagin the rock arm and said marginal portion o Vthe Hoor, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination-with a railway car platform, and the steps leading downwardly therefrom; of a trap door for normally coveing the steps the'trap door comprising a support movab e about an axis, and including a body 'ournaled in the car frame, a

ioor carried y the support and shiftable in aV direction parallel to the axis of the body,

the major part lof the floor extending 'on one side of such axis and a marginal portion thereof being located on the other side of such axis, and means for shifting the floor comprising a vertical rock shaft rising from the platform and extendin below the same,

the rock shaft having a roc arm at its lower eiid, and a link -locat'ed beneath the platform and "pivotall connected to the rock arm and to the un erl side of said marginal portion, the link extending through the riser of the top steprof the plat orm, substantially as and for the purpose described.

Copies of thin patent mayA be obtained for arm at its lowerl lsliding movement and securing the floor to the body, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

12. In a trap door for railway car platforms, a support movable about the axis and comprising a body in the form of a barrel, brackets mounted on the body, and leaves carried by the brackets, a floor slidably mounted on the support and connected to the leaves and members connected to the floor and coperating with the body between the brackets and arranged to engage the brackets respectively for limiting the movement of the floor relatively to the body in opposite directions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. The combination with a railroad passenger car having a platform with a step opening therein, of a trap door for closing such opening, 'said door being shiftable in a lengthwise direction for projecting a portion thereof beyond the plane of the side of the car, and means for shifting the door comprising a vertical rock shaft rising from the car platform and having a part extending below the same, a rock arm associated with the lower end of the shaft, a link con- 'nected at one end to the outer end of said L.. M. DAvis.

ve cents each, by addressing' the "Commissioner of Patents` Washington, D. C. 

